Rail-joint.



No. 721,109. I PATENTBD FEB. 17, 1903.

' B. P. TAYLOR.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 3, 1902.

NO MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 721,109. 1 PATENTEDFEB. 17, 1903.

* -B.P.TAYLOR.

RAIL JOINT.

, APPLICATION FILED JULY 3,1902. v

H0 MODEL, 2 SHEETS-SHBET 2.

15:2? yz zor m: minus mans do. moraumo WASHINGTON a c UNITED .STATES PATENT OFFICE.

I BENJAMIN P. TAYLOR, OF BERNIE, MISSOURI.

RAIL-JOINT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 721,109, dated February 17, 1903.

Application filed July 3, 1902. $erial No. 114,291. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN P. TAYLOR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bernie, in the county of Stoddard and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints; and-I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake anduse the same.

The invention relates to improvements in rail-joints; and its object is to provide a joint which is simple and, strong in construction, inexpensive of production, durable in use,

securely held togetherwithout the use of bolts and nuts and all tendency of the rails to twist or spread overcome.

With these objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter more fully set forth, and particularly defined in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the meeting ends of two railroad-rails, showing them secured by my improved joint.- Fig. 2 is a vertical crosssection on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective of the locking fish-plate. Fig. 4 is a detailrperspective view of the fishplate which carries the lugs or studs. Fig. 5 is a detail view of a fragment of one of the fish-plates, showing one of the lugs or studs removably secured to the same. Fig. 6 is a detail side elevation of the 'end'of one of the rails, and Figs. 7 and 8 are side elevations of simpler forms of the invention.

Referring to the drawings, the numerals-1 and 2 denote the meeting ends of two railroad-rails, the webs of which are provided with openings or slots 3.

4 denotes an angle fish-platelocated on one side of the rails and provided upon its inner face with horizontal lugs or studs 5, which are adapted to project through the openings 3, which are of slightly greater width than the lugs 5 to allow for the expansion and contraction of the rails due to changes in tem-' perature. The ends of these lugs 5 extend entirely through the web of the rails and are formed upon their under side with a groove or keyway 6, the outer wall 7 of which is beveled inwardly. The lugs 5 may either be cast integrally upon the fish-plate 4 or may be detachably secured thereto, as shown in Fig. 5, byforming said lug with a dovetailed inner end 5 to fit in a similar-shaped opening 4 in the fish-plate. It will be seen that when the lugs are thus secured should one of them be- ..come broken it may be easily and quickly replacedby a new one, and the entire plate need not be cast aside, as would be necessary when the lugs are cast integrally upon the I plate. t and one in which the ends of the rails will be 8 denotes a locking fishrplate located upon the opposite side of the rails and formed with locking-keys 9 and stop-shoulders 10, between which are located the spaces or notches 11. The said keys 9 are adapted to seat in the groove or keyway 6 in the lugs 5 and are formed with a beveled outer face 12 to coaot with the beveled wall 7 of the keyway 6. The horizontal base portions 14 of both the fish-plates project over the base-flanges of the rails and are secured to the cross-ties by spikes or other fastening means.

In securing the ends of the rails together by this construction the fish-plate 4 is first placed against the sides of the rails, with the lugs or studs 5 projecting through the openings 3 in the webs of the rails. The locking fish-plate 8 is then placed against the opposite side of the rails, so that the spaces 11 register with the ends of the lugs 5, and the keys 9 are in line with the'keyway 6. The locking-plate 8 is then forced longitudinally to allow the keys 9 to enter the grooves or keyways 6 to securely lock the parts together. It will be noticed that by forming the keyway with a bevel wall 7 and the key with a similar coacting face 12 the tendency of the rails to twist or turn is prevented, and a better looking contact is secured.

In the construction illustrated in Fig. 7 the fish-plate 4 is formed with but two lugs 5 5, one projecting through the slot in the end of-each rail, and in the simplest form of my invention, as seen in Fig'. 8, there .is but one lug 5 which projects through communicating slots in the ends of the-rails. The

locking-plate 8 in this figure is cast with lugs or fingers 14, by means of which it is secured to the ties instead of a continuous horizontal base 14, as in the other forms.

The horizontal bases 14 of the fish-plates are formed with notches 15, adapted to receive the heads of spikes 16, which may be driven into the ties upon which the rails rest in order to secure the fish-plates in their looked position.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction, operation, and advantages of my invention will be readily apparent, it is thought, without requiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. In a raiLjoint, the combination with rails provided at their meeting ends with transverse openings, of a fish-plate having a basefiange and having its upper side notched, provided with a longitudinal key in one end of the notch, the ends of the latter forming stops, and a fish-plate having laterally-extending lugs to project through the openings of the rails and into the notches of the first-mentioned fish-plate, substantially as described.

2. In a rail-joint, the combination with rails provided at their meeting ends with transverse openings, of a fish-plate having abaseflange and having its upper side notched, provided with a longitudinal key in one end of the notch, the ends of the latter forming stops, and the fish-plate havinglaterally-extending lugs to project through the openings of the rails and into the notches of the first-mentioned fish-plate, said lugs having longitudinal grooves on their under sides to receive the keys of the first-mentioned fish-plate, the coacting contacting outer sides of said grooves and keys lying in a plane that inclines downwardly toward the rails, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

BENJAMIN P. TAYLOR.

Witnesses:

T. W. LINDSAY, D. B. ABERNATHY. 

